Event chairs Jenna Stapleton, in black, and Merrill Smith with their husbands, state Treasurer Walker Stapleton, left, and Lem Smith. (Steve Peterson, Special to The Denver Post)

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain. And it threatened to fall in Denver’s Central Platte Valley when the Children’s Museum celebrated its 38th anniversary by hosting An Evening in Magical Madrid.

But it didn’t.

Which was a very good thing because the walkabout supper, auction and dance was held outdoors at the museum and you’d better believe that much of the magic would have dissolved had the 550 guests become soaking wet.

A few drops right at the start gave way to a balmy June night, to the great relief of co-chairs Jenna Stapleton and Merrill Smith.

Wet weather also would have been a real hassle for the museum’s president/CEO Mike Yankovich. He’d gone for a run two days before and, in his words, “tangled with a sprinkler.” The sprinkler obviously won because Yankovich suffered a serious — and painful — ankle sprain with torn ligaments that put him on crutches.

Birthday Bash always attracts an cool crowd, and this year was no exception. Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl and his life partner, Kim Van Deraa, were the honorary chairmen and arrived right at the start to mix and mingle with such as former Denver Bronco Brian Griese and his wife, Brook; board chair Vatsala Pathy and her husband, Arun; the museum’s former chief executive, Tom Downey, and his wife, Lori Fox; veterinarian Kevin McAbee and his wife, Carley; and board member Taryn Walsh, who won the Explore Espana raffle drawing.

The prize includes a six-night stay at the Hotel Fuentes de Lucia in the mountains of northern Spain, with business-class airfare for two donated by United for service on Continental and a $500 Visa gift card. And, to give her a taste of what’s to come, there’s also a $150 gift certificate to Rioja in Larimer Square.

It’s a great package made even better by the fact that Walsh is going to chair the 39th Birthday Bash with Anne Larsen. The theme has not been announced, but the date will be June 1, 2012.

Occasions by Sandy did the food for Birthday Bash 38, offering a menu rich with Spanish flavors. There was paella, seared scallops, Spanish omelets, olives and various other tapas. There was no worry about consuming too many calories because once Funkiphino started playing, the dance floor filled up fast.

Walker Stapleton’s mom, Debbie Stapleton, was there with Walker’s grandmother, Katie Stapleton, and her beau, Patrick Coulson. Other guests were Melissa and Justin Kroll; Bonnie Downing; Centura Health At Home marketing coordinator Paige Thompson and her husband, Patrick; Marcela de la Mar and John Fair; Dave Barnes, whose Scenographics provided some of the decor; Stephanie Odak; Laura and Matt Papazian; Sarah and Kent Odendahl; Lana Yoder Dale; Suzanne and Steve Engle; Lindsy and Brandon Moore; and Amanda and Michael Solomon.

Eighty families who otherwise would have had slim pickings come Thanksgiving Day will have a grand feast, thanks to an event organized by PROseasons and Denver Nuggets players JR Smith and Al Harrington.

Smith and Harrington donated 80 turkeys and well-stuffed gift baskets for the recipients chosen by leaders at Saint Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, which was founded 109 years ago and is Colorado’s second-oldest black church. It’s located at 3125 Humboldt St.

PROseasons is a personal management and consulting company for professional athletes; it was founded in 2008 by Sameen Naqvi. Mike Will Downey, chief executive officer of Lead Alliance Media Group, is its chief operating officer while Adrian Smith, LAMG’s chief operating officer, is the vice president for business development.

George Karl, head coach of the Denver Nuggets has been battling cancer for some time now, but is hoping to feel well enough to make an appearance at a June 3 wine pairings dinner that will raise money for AnthioGen, a Wheat Ridge-based nonprofit helping cancer patients in need.

AnthioGen began in 2007, a year after one of its inspirations, Barbara Jean Spence, succumbed to cancer. Spence and fellow cancer patient Bill Buckley were patients of Drs. Samir Witta and Kevin Schewe, who joined with Buckley, an attorney, to start the nonprofit organization that would provide emotional and financial assistance to cancer patients, including up to six months ($3,000 max) of insurance or COBRA payments.

A Tribute to Doug Moe brought out a who’s who in professional basketball and everyone, it seemed, had a “good one” to tell about the honoree. Some of the stories were revealing, others touching. And one hit the nail on the head.

It came from Moe’s friend of 40-plus years, Larry Brown, former Nuggets head coach now leading the Charlotte Bobcats, and put Moe’s sartorial style into perspective.

Moe’s aversion to, shall we say, a tailored fashion image, isn’t something he adopted on a whim. It dates back to when Moe and Brown first became coaches in Carolina, and one of the team sponsors offered them a generous discount on their clothing purchases. Brown, known as a fashionista, said he went crazy picking out ties, slacks, jackets and shirts while his buddy picked out one brown suit and one blue suit. “He said he could wear the blue jacket with the brown slacks, and vice versa, so he really had purchased four outfits and that’s all he wanted,” Brown recalled.

Like so many fund-raisers do, Savor the Grape started small and grew to epic proportions. This year, a faltering economy could have been blamed for a smaller attendance and lesser profit.
Only thing, it didn’t happen that way.
Morton’s in the DTC was packed to the rafters with athletes and others who came to help raise upwards of $60,000 for the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center that’s part of the Denver Broncos branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
Hosts were two of Williams’ best friends and former teammates, John Lynch and Champ Bailey. They were joined by former Bronco Rod Smith and current players Daniel Graham, Brandon Marshall, Boss Bailey, Hamza Abdullah, Ryan Torain, Mike Leach, Nate Jackson and Ebenezer Ekuban.
A few Denver Nuggets got into the act, too: Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Dahntay Jones.
All of which had to be very heart-warming for Williams’ mom, Rosalind, who had flown in from her home in Ft. Worth to attend.
Guests enjoyed a buffet that included all of Morton’s signature dishes: freshly shucked oysters, giant prawns, sliced filet mignon fresh from the grill. Jordan, Opus One and other top-shelf wines, courtesy of Republic National Distributing, also were poured.
A live auction featured items unique to the local fund-raising scene.
Dinner with “The Guys,” snapped by by Curtis Frank, was a package that included dinner you and seven others in the Morton’s Boardroom with Champ Bailey and Domonique Foxworth. John Lynch and Hamza Abdullah were high bidders fon two four-course Morton’s dinners for six, prepared by Chef Eric Pruitt at the winner’s home and served by Morton’s staff.
Janco Partners chief executive Jan Helen will be enjoying A Foursome with 47: a round of golf at the private Sanctuary course with Pro Bowl Safety John Lynch.
The Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center opened May 29 at the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood. The center provides a gathering place for youths ages 13–18, allowing them to socialize, play video games, work on homework, plan and implement service projects, and avoid unsafe activities and influences.
CBS 4 sports anchor Vic Lombardi served as emcee and auctioneer.
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver is to inspire and enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Since 1961, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver has been helping kids from tough neighborhoods stay out of trouble, stay in school, and succeed in life. Not just after school hangouts, the Clubs are places where young people come to learn, do homework, develop social skills, express themselves creatively, and participate in sports. Learn more at www.bgcmd.org.
2008 marks Morton’s 30th anniversary, and the company will celebrate by partnering with the Make A Wish Foundation in its “30 Wishes for 30 Years” national campaign.

Pictures taken at Savor the Grape can be viewed at denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com

From left: Champ Bailey, Rosalind Williams, John Arigoni and John Lynch. Photo by Steve Peterson/Special to The Denver Post

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.